After Pretending to be an Idiot, I Was Targeted by the Cold-Blooded Zhangyin - Chapter 27

“I rubbed them raw while riding.”

Facing Gu Feiyi’s question, Xie Changsheng provided an answer first, followed immediately by a question of his own: “Clearly I was the one on the horse’s back, so why was I the one who got hurt? Is this a case of a man riding a horse, or a horse riding a man?”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

A good question, very Zen. Never ask it again.

He placed Xie Changsheng back on the ground. Seeing the boy propping himself against the wall and swaying unsteadily, Gu Feiyi’s brow furrowed. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Xie Changsheng hissed as he sucked in a breath of cold air. “I only just discovered it myself.”

Gu Feiyi let out a light tsk and called for the attendants, instructing them to prepare a soft palanquin.

Xie Changsheng asked dizzily, “What for?”

“What for?” Gu Feiyi repeated softly.

He thought to himself that since his little pet had hit his head, he didn’t even know that he needed rest and medicine when injured. In a corner of his heart, a sighing emotion rose. He said, “Naturally, it’s to go back to your quarters to rest and apply medicine.”

Xie Changsheng gave an “Oh.” “But I haven’t finished my dinner yet.”

Gu Feiyi’s narrow eyes squinted. “With this servant here, the Little Highness will certainly not go hungry.”

The palace servants brought the soft sedan and stopped before them. Gu Feiyi bowed slightly, offering his arm to Xie Changsheng to support him as he boarded the sedan. Once Xie Changsheng was inside, Gu Feiyi sat in as well.

Xie Changsheng asked, “Gu Feiyi, are you coming back with me?”

Gu Feiyi replied, “Naturally.”

At first, Gu Feiyi sat beside Xie Changsheng. Seeing the boy restless and shifting from the pain, he moved to the side seat. He spread two snow-white handkerchiefs over his knees, then reached down to grasp Xie Changsheng’s ankles, placing the boy’s feet onto his own lap. “Little Highness, this should be more comfortable.”

Xie Changsheng tested the feeling. “A little better.”

Gu Feiyi seemed to recall something. “When this servant first learned to ride, I also rubbed my thighs raw.”

Xie Changsheng blinked dizzily; it was unclear if he actually understood. Gu Feiyi didn’t care if he was listening; he rested his hand casually on Xie Changsheng’s calf, his long fingers unconsciously kneading the muscle. He seemed lost in memory.

Xie Changsheng, however, knew what he was thinking. The original book mentioned that the first time Gu Feiyi rode a horse was with his parents. He was surely missing them.

Xie Changsheng reached out and patted Gu Feiyi, attempting to comfort him: “Heh heh, that proves you were also ridden by a horse.”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

With those words, Gu Feiyi’s sentimentality vanished instantly. Not only was the sadness gone, but his face darkened, and the way he stared at Xie Changsheng became even more terrifying. Xie Changsheng whistled, pretending nothing had happened while looking away.

Fifteen minutes later, the sedan arrived at Xie Changsheng’s bedchamber.

Gu Feiyi stepped out first. Turning back, he saw Xie Changsheng right behind him, gripping the edge of the sedan and trembling as he prepared to jump down.

Gu Feiyi stared at him for a moment. Though his little pet was precious, beautiful, and pampered, he wasn’t pretentious. Even though his legs hurt, he didn’t know to ask for help; he just endured it quietly. If Gu Feiyi hadn’t discovered it himself, he had no doubt Xie Changsheng would never have spoken up.

It was actually quite heart-wrenching.

Gu Feiyi waved away the servant who wanted to help and extended his arms toward Xie Changsheng. “Come, this servant will catch you, Little Highness.”

Xie Changsheng, however, didn’t give him much face, muttering, “Can you catch me? Are you strong enough? Don’t drop me, and don’t throw your back out…”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

Gu Feiyi stared at Xie Changsheng with a half-smile. “This servant’s strength is sufficient, and his waist is quite fine. The Little Highness can rest assured.”

Xie Changsheng took a deep breath, pressed his hands onto Gu Feiyi’s wrists, and jumped. He had prepared himself for the pain in his legs upon landing, but he never hit the ground.

Gu Feiyi caught him and swept him up into a horizontal “princess carry.” Xie Changsheng instinctively wrapped his arms around Gu Feiyi’s neck. This was essentially a very firm embrace.

Gu Feiyi felt the arms around his neck and the warmth radiating from Xie Changsheng’s body against his chest. However, the boy in his arms began muttering to himself in a strange tone:

“Wait, this is wrong. I’m in a political intrigue novel, not a Hong Kong-Taiwan romance, right? …Why is there a mid-air stunt ‘princess carry’?”

…What kind of nonsense is he babbling again?

Gu Feiyi carried Xie Changsheng all the way to the bed and laid him down. At the same time, Feng Wang returned from his quarters with the Jade Condensation Balm. Xie Changsheng looked at the palm-sized black jade box. “What’s this?”

Gu Feiyi said, “Jade Condensation Balm. Apply this to the wound; it can heal flesh and bone without leaving a scar.”

“You have good stuff like this? Can you put it under my name and apply for a patent so I can become a millionaire? Oh, you can’t? Hilarious, I was just asking, you’re really pretentious.”

Gu Feiyi ignored him. He ordered hot water and clean towels brought in, then dismissed all the serving maids. His narrow eyes landed on Xie Changsheng. “Little Highness, take off your trousers.”

Xie Changsheng’s lips parted. He was about to refuse, saying he could do it himself.

Gu Feiyi, as if knowing what he was thinking, smiled with narrowed eyes. “This servant knows the Little Highness dislikes people being close, but the matter of applying medicine cannot be neglected. The Little Highness’s skin is so smooth and flawless; if a scar were left, it would be a great pity.”

Xie Changsheng knew Gu Feiyi’s interest was piqued; he was treating him like a doll again. He made one final struggle: “Take pride in hard work! Be ashamed of indolence! (Note 1) Use your own hands for a life of plenty! I can do it myself!”

Gu Feiyi let out an “Oh” and slowly turned the brass ring on his finger. “Does the Little Highness intend to disobey the words of his Master? Do you no longer want the puppy?”

Xie Changsheng’s momentum collapsed instantly. Gu Feiyi knew he had won. He sat by the bed and reached out to unfasten Xie Changsheng’s belt. Once loosened, he piled the outer robes over the boy’s lower abdomen and gripped the waistband of his trousers. “Little Highness, lift your hips.”

Xie Changsheng lifted his hips, and Gu Feiyi slid the outer trousers down to his knees. However, the inner trousers couldn’t be removed so easily—the blood on his inner thighs had dried, causing the fabric to stick to the flesh. Any movement was painful.

Gu Feiyi found a pair of scissors and began cutting the inner trousers along the thigh. The cool outer blade of the scissors slid against the skin of Xie Changsheng’s inner thigh. Xie Changsheng didn’t dare move, his eyes fixed on Gu Feiyi’s movements, terrified of being nipped.

Gu Feiyi didn’t look up but seemed to know what the boy was thinking. “Rest assured, Little Highness. This servant’s hands know their weight.”

He cut away all the fabric that wasn’t stained with blood. Gradually, Xie Changsheng’s thighs were bare except for a few patches of bloodied cloth still stuck to his skin.

Xie Changsheng suddenly grabbed the nearby blanket and covered his face. From beneath the blanket, Gu Feiyi’s curious voice came: “Little Highness, why are you hiding your face?”

Xie Changsheng replied, “All human bodies are the same. As long as I hide my face, no one will know who I am.”

But the moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had misspoken. Gu Feiyi was a eunuch; his body was “incomplete.” His body was, of course, different from others. These words were undoubtedly like rubbing salt in Gu Feiyi’s wounds.

Xie Changsheng hurriedly tried to laugh it off, but he heard Gu Feiyi’s light chuckle. He wasn’t angry as Xie Changsheng had expected. He simply said, “The Little Highness is truly a master of the art of self-deception.”

An icy hand gripped Xie Changsheng’s thigh and applied outward pressure. “Spread your legs a bit wider.”

Once Xie Changsheng’s legs were further apart, Gu Feiyi finally saw the injuries on the inner thighs clearly. It was even more serious than he had thought. The skin was entirely red, covered in spots of blood both large and small.

“The Little Highness is truly too playful,” Gu Feiyi whispered. He took a handkerchief, soaked it in hot water, and used it to moisten the fabric stuck to the skin. Then, he peeled them off bit by bit.

When the bloodied fabric was pulled away, it tugged at the skin. Even though Gu Feiyi was gentle, the wounds inevitably seeped fresh blood. Gu Feiyi felt the pain just looking at it, but Xie Changsheng remained muffled under the blanket, silent.

Gu Feiyi was curious. “Little Highness, doesn’t it hurt?”

Xie Changsheng’s voice came muffled from the blanket: “I am a mushroom. How can a mushroom feel pain?”

Gu Feiyi shook his head at the response—the boy was “stupid with pain.”

After removing all the cloth, Gu Feiyi took a fresh towel and wiped the inner thighs clean. “Little Highness, this servant is going to apply the medicine.”

He opened the palm-sized jade box. Instantly, the room was filled with the scent of plum. It was similar to Gu Feiyi’s personal scent, yet different—mixed with a faint, bitter medicinal smell.

Gu Feiyi scooped out a portion with his fingertip. He rubbed it slowly between his index finger and thumb until the snow-white balm was worked into a semi-translucent state.

Gu Feiyi reached out and applied the balm to the wounds. The moment his finger touched the skin, Xie Changsheng’s entire body jolted.

“Does it hurt?”

Xie Changsheng said, “It’s too cold.”

Gu Feiyi looked down at his own hand. In his youth, his body still had warmth. But over the years in the palace, his body could no longer get warm. With so much freezing hatred in his heart, how could he ever be warm again?

Unlike Xie Changsheng, whose body was always cozy.

Pulling his thoughts back, Gu Feiyi applied the balm to the base of the thighs again, making Xie Changsheng jolt once more. Gu Feiyi said, “Little Highness, bear with it. It will be over soon.”

Despite saying that, Gu Feiyi seemed to find it fun, pressing his icy fingers against the boy’s skin again and again. He looked at Xie Changsheng’s constant shivering with satisfaction.

But it wasn’t enough. Looking at the covered face, Gu Feiyi became curious about Xie Changsheng’s expression. He reached out and pulled back the blanket covering the boy’s face.

There was still no expression, and the eyes were still dazed and listless. However, because of the restricted breathing, his face was flushed. Because of the cold, he was biting his lower lip hard with his teeth, seemingly holding back a gasp.

Seeing the blanket taken away, Xie Changsheng froze for an instant, then gave a silly grin. “Oh, it’s daylight.”

Gu Feiyi arched an eyebrow, staring at Xie Changsheng’s face. Suddenly, he spread his five fingers and gripped the boy’s thigh root entirely. Xie Changsheng didn’t expect the move and nearly jumped off the bed in fright. He looked at Gu Feiyi with dissatisfaction, accusing him in that hilariously flat, dazed tone:

“…Pervert.”

Where else would one find such a “considerate” pervert, using such a priceless medicine just to prevent scars on his little pet?

Gu Feiyi remained expressionless. He reached toward Xie Changsheng’s chest and, as a form of petty revenge, rubbed all the remaining balm on his fingers onto the boy’s clothes. Once his fingers were clean, a low, unidentifiable chuckle escaped his throat: “…Heh.”